Solar Power

Safe Renewable Energy

What is solar power?

• Solar power is energy derived from the sun and converted to electricity or heat. It is a source of renewable energy.

It can be used for many things such as powering boats, cars, houses and spacecrafts

Solar Power turns the suns energy into Electricity!

What creates solar power?

• Solar panel: a semiconductor device, converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy.

Solar Panel =Photovoltaic cell cell.

Sunlight

Electric Energy

• Panel trapssunlight

• Is converted toelectricity

• Can poweryour home!

• Federal, city and staterebates

• $5,000-10,000 to install• Sell extra power back to

electric company!

• CCUSD’s Solar Power

• CCUSD has 2,490 solar panels which generate up to 867.3 kilowatts of power at a single point in time.

• Ex: A microwave uses 1 kW • LCD projector uses 0.2 kW

• This generates enough power to produce 3/4th of the electricity we typically use in a given school year.

• How Solar Energy Panels Work (stop @ 1:30)

• Over its 35-year expected life, a 10 kW system will provide the equivalent CO2 reduction as planting 1450 trees. (Based on typical utility pollution, it will prevent emissions of 963,125 lbs of carbon dioxide.)

• It will produce 575,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, as much as would be generated by burning 583,000 lbs of coal.

• According to http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/solar-market/

Think how much CO2 CCUSD is saving from being emitted into the atmosphere by using Solar Panels?

Just 1 LCD uses Just 1 LCD uses 103.65 pounds of 103.65 pounds of COCO22 per year! per year!

Think, pair, share1. What is another name for solar panels?

2. Will the solar panels produce enough energy to cover ALL of our electricity use? What percent does it cover?

3. How is CCUSD doing it’s share to help the earth by installing solar panels?

What happens when you make more energy than you use!

• During the day, if we produce more energy then we use, the extra energy is delivered to neighbors and we get credit for the energy given. (the meter rolls back)

What happens when you make less energy than you use! Like at night!

• At night, when we are not producing solar energy, we get our energy from the Grid (electric company). The meter rolls forward.

• At the end of the month, if you use more than you produce, you pay the electric company for the extra energy.

• If you produce more than you use, then the electric company pays you!!!

• How Solar Power Works Video

Distributed Generation

• Distributed Generation is when electricity is produced close to the source.– Example: Solar power reduces the demand on

the electric power grid.

• CCMS ‘s solar panels distribute (give) energy to other places in the grid when we are not using all the energy that is produced at that moment.

How does the solar power get from the panel to the school?

Combiner boxCombines all energy from all arrays. It increases the amps.

DC current comes in and it is changed to AC current .

Goes to the grid to be used as electricity!

These steps help to insure safety.

Meter will actually turn back if we are producing more than we use!!!!!

Travels underground.

CellModule Array

DC current to AC current

How does Sunlight turn into Electricity Video

Tesla Vs. Edison• The History of Nikola Tesla - a Short Story

• The History of Thomas Edison - a Short Story